Argentine President Javier Milei blamed "political panic" for rattling markets Friday in the run-up to crucial midterm elections, sending the peso into a tailspin and hurting the country's sovereign risk. The Central Bank intervened on Wednesday to prop up the currency for the first time in five months. The dollar-peso exchange rate is a political hot potato in Argentina, where most people save in greenbacks rather than the long-ailing peso. The government, which faces debt maturities of around US$8 billion through to January, is going through its worst political moment. – TIMES/AFP) argentina, economy, president, milei, speech, córdoba,